Tania Manning is a research assistant and archivist for the Alexander Shulgin Research Institute, working to preserve Sasha and Ann Shulgin's papers, correspondence, library, and artifacts. She is coauthor (with Sasha Shulgin and Paul Daley) of The Shulgin Index, and she is helping facilitate the writing of Book Three, the Shulgins' follow-up to PIHKAL and TIHKAL, featuring new personal and chemical love stories. Manning also appears in the Shulgin documentary Dirty Pictures, directed by Etienne Sauret.
Formerly the resident of a long-running California commune that embraces "responsible hedonism" as their philosophy, Manning has spoken at events sponsored by Burning Man theme camps, MAPS, and the Women's Visionary Congress, often discussing the topic of sexuality and psychoactive drugs. She has volunteered at information booths and in crisis tents as a sitter for events such as Psychedelic Science, the International Drug Policy Reform Conference, and Symbiosis, as well as working as a Black Rock City Ranger on the playa, where she has assisted in Sanctuary and at the Saraswati Tea House.
Within the psychedelic community, Manning's activism is largely focused on preserving and disseminating the work of pioneers in the field by scanning and cataloging their printed materials as well as conducting videotaped interviews of notable figures, such as Donald Allen, Jim Fadiman, Gary Fisher, Stewart Frescas, Robert Jesse, Robert McKim, David Nichols, Bob Sager, Nick Sand and Usha (unpublished), Sasha and Ann Shulgin, and Myron and Jean Stolaroff. Along with Jon Hanna, Manning has worked as a videographer for the Mind States conferences, Erowid.org, and the Women's Visionary Council. She was a 2007 recipient of the Women's Entheogen Fund, which awards grants to visionary woman healers, scholars, researchers, and artists.
Manning is renowned for her endless enthusiasm, generosity, empathy, and dedication to enhancing the enjoyment of embodiment.